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Mobile genetic elements from the maternal microbiome shape infant gut microbial assembly and metabolism

Tommi Vatanen1, Karolina S Jabbar2, Terhi Ruohtula3

  • 1Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard, Cambridge, MA 02142, USA; Research Program for Clinical and Molecular Metabolism, Faculty of Medicine, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland; Liggins Institute, University of Auckland, Auckland, New Zealand.

Cell
|December 23, 2022
PubMed

Insights

Maternal and infant gut microbes and their metabolites are crucial for development. This study tracked their co-development, revealing mother-to-infant gene transfer and distinct infant metabolomes influenced by diet.

Area of Science:

  • Microbiology
  • Developmental Biology
  • Metabolomics

Background:

  • The perinatal period is critical for infant cognitive and immune development.
  • Maternal and infant gut microbiomes and their metabolites play a key role in this development.
  • Understanding the co-development of these microbiomes and metabolomes is essential.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To track the co-development of maternal and infant gut microbiomes and metabolomes from late pregnancy to one year of age.
  • To investigate mother-to-infant transfer of microbial genetic elements and their functions.
  • To analyze the impact of infant feeding practices on gut metabolomes and immune signatures.

Main Methods:

  • Longitudinal multi-omics data from 70 mother-infant dyads.
  • Analysis of gut microbiome composition and function.
  • Metabolomic profiling of maternal and infant samples.
  • Measurement of infant serum cytokine profiles.

Main Results:

  • Significant mother-to-infant transfer of mobile genetic elements, including diet-adaptation genes.
  • Infant gut metabolomes showed lower diversity but unique metabolites and microbe-metabolite associations compared to mothers.
  • Infant metabolomes and cytokine profiles differed based on formula type (regular vs. extensively hydrolyzed) compared to breastfed infants.

Conclusions:

  • The study expands the understanding of vertical microbiome transmission.
  • It provides novel insights into the interplay between maternal and infant microbiomes and metabolomes.
  • Feeding practices significantly influence infant gut metabolome and immune development during the first year of life.

Keywords:
gut metabolomehorizontal gene transferinfant gut microbiomemother-to-infant microbiome transmission

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